F-3 Trailer Build

[LA F2 Flyer]

Congrats on the new home and welcome back!

[Badland-F5 Pilot]

Thanks. I'm not all the way there yet, but making progress. The mini-farm (Chicken's, pig, and farm maintenance) is keeping me rather busy. I'm also trying to get the pole barn in order so I can get a picture of the future Badland F5 Fujita Hanger

[LA F2 Flyer]

ha! Love it! Looking forward to pics of all three - the chickens, the pig AND the pole barn...not necessarily in that order.

[Badland-F5 Pilot]

I really want to get the pole barn taken care of. That way I can post the picture on the Badland Facebook Group as well as our forum.

[LA F2 Flyer]

After my "incident" a few weeks ago (getting stuck holding the tail of the plane high in the air while yelling for my wife to come rescue me), I decided to go in a different direction with the tail support.

I ended up buying a scissor jack with a 24" lift as well as a small plate of mild steel (4"x1/8"x24"). The intent is to winch the plane all the way up until the tail spring is over the scissor jack, then lift it mechanically. I'm sure my back and my neck (which is still sore) will thank me.

I had to reconcile where to mount the scissor jack so it doesn't interfere with the tail of the plane. As a result the initial plan to keep it simple and mount the jack on top of the rear crossmember had to be rejected.


After some consideration I decided to add a plate just ahead of the crossmember, and supported from underneath so as not to interfere with the jack base.

This is what I came up with.

I welded it into place (again not doing my neck any favors when welding the underside.

It had been predrilled for the jack, and was test fit multiple times to make sure the welds don't interfere with the base, possibly misaligning the bolt holes.

Once the welding was done I threw a coat of primer on it.

[Badland-F5 Pilot]

Looks great man, nice job and great work around. There's always a way! Looking forward to seeing how it works once completed.

Todd

[LA F2 Flyer]

Thanks Todd. Here is the completed look.

The kit also came with a few options to crank it up and down. You can guess which I'll be using most of the time.

[ksatter26]

Nice. If only I could weld.

[LA F2 Flyer]

The welder I bought was recently on sale at Harbor Freight for $150. I taught myself with one 2 pound spool of wire. It might be worth a shot!

[ksatter26]

I have one if those. I probably need another couple if pounds of wire and a month or two of practice time.

[Badland-F5 Pilot]

Thanks Todd. Here is the completed look.

jack down.JPG

The kit also came with a few options to crank it up and down. You can guess which I'll be using most of the time.

crank options.JPG

Very nicely done. Plus, being mechanical, there's no chance you'll be stuck without being able to raise or lower the jack. I think you most likely can even do that by hand if the jack crank is left at home by mistake!

[mrpilotron]

I just read through this thread and noticed many apologies for amateur welding. I feel at least marginally qualified to say the welding on this project is just fine. Could it be better? Sure. Many of my welds could be better too, but what you have here is perfectly acceptable for the strength needed so don't beat yourself up. Also, don't be afraid to scrap a piece that you're not happy with and try again. The lost cost of the materials is nothing compared to the consequence of having the part fail while using it. Your peace of mind knowing it's done well is worth something too.

What's really impressive to me is the utility that this trailer provides. I'm planning to copy a lot of this to build my transport trailer. One thing I'll do different is the fastening of the plane to the trailer. Clamping the main gear tires with a captive bracket will allow the suspension to absorb some bumps rather than having a nylon strap transfer jolts directly into the airframe. I'm still thinking up a way to have a bit of squish on the tail support while still providing positive holding. I may end up using a pad of foam rubber (deck chair pad?) on a small platform then run a couple rubber bungies over the tail to keep it clamped.

Thanks for sharing your build so we can all learn from it.

[LA F2 Flyer]

Thanks for the kind words about the welds! I am certainly comforted by them. I was also thinking about a captive bracket for the wheels and would love to see what you come up with. My concern would be with the main gear spreading under load and the relatively thin wheels slipping out somehow.